Secret's Out
by TSRowenwood
Summary: 'To sum it up, Dick was sleep deprived, and that was why he had tried to take off Barbara Gordon's head with a bird-a-rang. Honestly, Dick probably shouldn't have done that, but he had been so surprised that - Hold the phone. You don't know what the heck I'm talking about. Let's start over. For the last three nights, Robin had gotten little to no sleep . . . '


**Alright, so I got this idea awhile back, and it stuck. This probably isn't my best writing ever, but I like it.**

**No, I don't own and I didn't have anything to do with the making of Monty Python.**

* * *

To sum it up, Dick was sleep deprived, and that was why he had tried to take off Barbara Gordon's head with a bird-a-rang.

Honestly, Dick probably shouldn't have done that, but he had been so surprised that -

Hold the phone. You don't know what the heck I'm talking about. Let's start over.

For the last three nights, Robin had gotten little to no sleep. That first night there had been a mission with the team that lasted _forever_, and all for nothing. They hadn't gotten the information they had needed, and were stuck. He had gotten a total an hour and a half of sleep before getting up so that he could get ready for school.

The second night after Batman's lecture and a vigorous training session, Joker had apparently decided it was high time that he broke out of Arkham. Needless to say, that night was an endless torment. Joker had gone all out and had brought out the Laughing Gas. That night he got a total of forty-five minutes of sleep.

Last night was just painful. He'd ran out of bird-a-rangs in the middle of a fight. He'd _run out _of _bird-a-rangs _in the _middle of a fight_. Yeah, that talk with Batman had been particularly disastrous, heavy on the dis. Only one hour for the exhausted teenager that night.

Today was supposed to be something special. Just a sleepover between Dick and Barbara and Bette. Barbara was particularly excited because Dick hardly _**ever **_was allowed to have them. Sure, it might have sounded childish, but while they hung out a lot, this made the sixth or seventh sleepover total. And she's known him for how long? Almost six years.

Plus, she _would _corner him and make him tell her about that new girl, Artemis.

That day at school she couldn't help but notice something . . . off, for lack of a better word, with Dick. He was distracted way too easily, and didn't have quite the same energy as he had a few days ago when Barbara had approached him about the sleepover.

"Dick, is anything wrong?" She snagged him right before seventh period.

He shot her a grin that stretched to his ears and replied, "Nope! Not unless you say you can't come over later."

Barbara scoffed and lightly nudged him into the classroom. "As if I would ever miss this. It's going to be utter chaos. I wouldn't rightfully be part of the Troublesome Trio if I wasn't there."

"Speaking of which, how's our other member, Bette?"

"Fine, but - "

"Silence! The bell has rung! Now, who can tell me what the air-speed velocity of a coconut-laden swallow?" _**(1)**_

* * *

After the scientific *coughidioticcough* questioning was over and school finally was out, Barbara and Dick walked over to where they were supposed to be meeting Bette.

They found her talking with Artemis, and heard the new girl asking a question. They got close enough to hear the response, at which time she noticed them.

"Sorry, but I have . . . chaos to attend to."

"What?" Artemis was stunned by this statement and turned to see the other two. She brought her gaze back to Bette, an eyebrow raised. "You told me earlier that I was supposed to ignore him."

"Yes, I did," Bette sighed, but the smile on her face betrayed her. "However, I only said that because I don't want either of them to contaminate you. They already got me sucked in, no reason to drag you in as well."

Artemis eyed the red and black haired teens before her. "Dragged you into what, exactly?"

Dick's eyes danced. "Babs and I got her to join our group. We aren't just the Daring Duo anymore. We're the Troublesome Trio."

Barbara could tell by the way Dick was subtly gesturing to Artemis that he wanted her to join them as well. Her eyes narrowed, but from what she had seen of the blond that day, she probably would make a good addition. What would they be called if she did join? The Flippant Foursome? Huh, it did have a sort of ring to it, she admitted to herself.

She eventually said (which was really only a few seconds after Dick started gesturing), "And maybe Dick _will _get you to join, seeing as he is the founder. The Flippant Foursome sounds about right." Dick looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, I think it would be more liked the Fearsome Foursome."

Bette cut in before Barbara could reply. "Dick would have to approve you. But for now, and I'm sorry Artemis, but I guess we'll have to have a rain check. I almost forgot about our 'planning meeting'. "

"And what's your 'planning meeting'? And who says that I'd want in, anyways?" Artemis folded her arms over her chest.

Dick looked her over, "Well, judging by your attitude towards the school, you actually sound about right. You wouldn't believe it, but even Bette has something she doesn't like about the school." He grinned. "Besides, you have to admit that it would be at least a _little _fun to wreck havoc around the school. And the 'planning meeting' is classified," his grin changed into a smirk. "Members only. Sorry. But I do approve."

Artemis suddenly looked interested. She couldn't say why, exactly. Maybe it was the way she wasn't allowed to know what happened at the 'planning meeting', maybe it was the way that Dick's grin looked entirely too much like Robin's. "You approve, huh? What would I have to do to get into this . . . group?"

The thirteen-year-old shrugged. "Find out what each of us did, I don't know. You're smart, you figure it out. Something that'll catch my eye," And of course, his eyes seemed to sparkle dangerously at that. "Now we really have to go, Alfred's waiting. Come on!" He raced off to the other side of cast iron gate.

Bette shoved a few locks of her slightly curled blond hair out of her face. "Better get going. He _**will**_ leave without us."

Barbara grabbed her sleeve, tugging her away in the direction Dick had taken. "Oh, no. He is _**not **_leaving us. This is going to be our first ever sleepover in months and I will not have him ruin it! See you later Artemis!"

* * *

The entire afternoon was spent not caring about the weekend homework. It was filled with crazy blanket forts, pillow fights, frighteningly scary movies, ghost stories, and junk food. Lots of junk food. Primarily marshmallows. It was no surprise when it was almost one in the morning (despite Alfred's pleading, he had had to stop after his warnings were ignored) by the time the subject of a prank was brought up.

Dick buried himself in his sleeping bag on the living room floor. "Naw, talk 'morrow mo - " yawn " - ning. Too tired."

"I concur," Bette pushed her face into her pillow. "Turn off the light, will you Babs?" came her muffled voice.

Barbara scowled and reluctantly got up out of the warmth of her sleeping bag, flipped off the lights, and jumped back into the layers of fabric.

Dick fell asleep in two point three seconds, hoping to sleep in to at least ten AM.

Bette fell asleep a little later, chatting quietly with Barbara so that they wouldn't wake up their exhausted friend.

Barbara found herself talking for about five minutes before she realized she was carrying on a one sided conversation. Bette had fallen asleep.

The red-head tried to fall asleep herself. She real did. But her brain was wired with all of the sweets she had eaten. Out of the three of them, she had had the most candy because Dick had long since found out that if he had too much sugar he went sugar-high (and it was downright scary when he went on one), and Bette didn't have a huge sweet tooth.

She tried to sleep for a little over an hour, but then realized it was a lost cause. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and went over to her back-pack, getting a book and flashlight.

About five minutes later Barbara came to a horrifying thought.

_I really have to use the bathroom and I still can't manage to find my way around the Manor!_

Barbara Gordon had come several times to Wayne Manor, and she had memorized the first two floors, but she had found in their last sleepover that when it came to walking around the vast mansion alone in the dark . . . She didn't do so well. The last time she had fallen asleep in the middle of the hallway and had woken up hours later with horrendous nightmares.

She went over to where Dick lay, and bent forward to shake him awake. Barbara stopped though, remembering how tired he had been this week. _Maybe I shouldn't, _the teen thought, _He's been so tired I literally thought he was going to fall asleep in the middle of__** calculus**__! _

But her frightened mind got the better of her. If she went alone to find the bathroom she no doubt would get lost and it was embarrassing enough the first time.

However, as she put her hand on Dick's shoulder he shot straight up and threw a _bird-a-rang _straight at her head. Barbara ducked, and watched as what she thought was probably just a toy hit the wall -

- and sunk into said wall.

Barbara's eyes were widened to the max as she realized that that was no toy. She turned to Dick, who rubbed his eyes and then looked from her to the projectile, a look of horror settling on his face.

Barbara's eyes narrowed into what resembled a BatGlare, her arms folded, and she had to restrain herself from full on yelling. "Richard. John. Grayson. Either you are even more Dynamic Duo crazy than you let on, or you really are the Boy Wonder himself! What the heck was that?!"

There was a shuffle. The original Daring Duo froze, gazes leaping to where Bette slept. The blond muttered a few incoherent words, shifting as she did onto her side. The two let out sighs of relief.

"You're not off the hook. What. In. Blazes. Happened? Where on earth did you get your mitts on a bird-a-rang?"

Dick ran a hand through his hair. "There's no way I'm getting out of this, is there?"

"Nope."

"And if I told you that the last time I was kidnapped Robin gave me a souvenir, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"As if."

"Well it's the truth!"

"You keep telling yourself that, Gypsy Boy." If that had come from anyone else, Dick probably would have socked them in the jaw. But this was Babs, and that was her nick-name for him, even before the bullies picked up on it.

He gulped. Batman was going to murder him with a spoon, he just knew it. "Babs - "

"Don't try to lie to me."

Dick sighed. He had tried, there was no denying that. He got up out of his sleeping bag, carefully pulled the bird-a-rang out of the wall, and gestured for Babs to follow him out of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"You were waking me up because it's dark and you can't find your way to the loo."

Barbara flushed. " . . . uh-huh . . . "

* * *

Awhile later the practically brother and sister got back to the living room.

As they walked Barbara said quietly, "You still haven't explained why you have that . . . thing."

"Have patience, and all shall be revealed," Dick moved sluggishly over to the old grandfather clock.

Barbara frowned. "Is that a movie quote?"

"Nope. Made it up off the spot. But it could very well be," He beckoned her over. She nearly tripped over several miscellaneous items.

"How do you move so fluidly in this house?"

"Practice. I've been sneaking around the Manor at night since I was eight," He had a worried expression on his face, and Barbara notice him biting his lower lip. Dick honestly could read her like an open book. His next sentence proved it. "I know, I know, I really need to stop biting. But you have to promise me that you won't . . . . freak."

Barbara was getting a little worried. Dick was never this serious. Not unless it was really close to the anniversary. "I won't," she whispered - albeit hesitantly.

Dick nodded, and his hands moved up to a knob on the ancient grandfather clock. He pulled down on it thrice.

Before the red-head could say anything, the clock seemingly disappeared to show an elevator shaft. Barbara's eyes were wide enough that you could have seen the whites from miles away.

Dick walked into the shaft, and pulled Barbara in with him. The doors shut and they were suddenly moving down.

She's speechless as her best friend shows her around the Batcave - The BATCAVE - , pointing out specific training equipment and other little details. She saw his actual costume, and an extra of Batman's costume.

At this point she's berating herself and questioning herself on how she couldn't have seen it. Of course Dick would be Robin. It all fit. Not having sleepovers often, how he just happened to disappear before something attacked the school, all of the kidnappings and scars. And who else would be able to perform those fancy flips?

Dick then led her back upstairs. She hardly noticed. Her best friend was Robin the Boy Wonder. He had just proved it, and if she had been a real friend, she would have figured it out a long time ago.

"Dick," she quietly called out as they both got back into their sleeping bags.

"Hmm?"

"I am such an idiot. I should have seen it."

Dick suddenly appeared at her side. "Don't worry about it, Babs. No one's seen it. You know how good I am at Hide & Seek." His grin did nothing.

"I still should have seen it. How could I have been such an idiot?! It's so painfully obvious!"

He took her hand. "Honestly Babs, it's alright. You couldn't have figured it out because I didn't want you to," she looked up at him confused. He sighed. "Babs, if I had told you, you would have been in danger. I couldn't put you through that. I didn't want you to get hurt, and besides that, Bats has kind of band me from telling anyone."

Barbara frowned. "And yet you showed me."

He shrugged. "You were going to figure it out soon enough anyway."

"True, but I still would have felt better if I had known."

He started shuffling back to his sleeping bag. "Can we have this conversation tomorrow? Bruce will be back by then and I'm tired," he glanced back at her. "Seriously, though. You can't tell anyone about us. Not Bette, not your dad, no one. Bats will have your head if you do. Not to mention mine."

Barbara dove into the warmth of her bag, head spinning of ideas. This might just work out if she can twist the Batman into letting her join. "Oh don't worry, Dick. I have no plans whatsoever of telling."

Dick groaned, hearing the smirk on her face. This was not going to go over well with Bats. Not well at all.

* * *

**I honestly don't know where the idea came from . . . I think I was talking with a friend about Robin, and it kind of just popped into my head . . . Randomness, right? But I guess that's pretty normal for me, I mean, it's not the first time something like this has happend, just take a look at My Home. I came up with that one in gym class. The only class I don't have a pencil or paper with me! Talk about a nightmare, I had to remember it for three more periods before I got a chance to write it down. But this isn't about that story, it's about this one.**

**Am I the only one who grinned at the last two paragraphs? Doesn't it just sound like something she would do? She's just epic like that. :)**

**1. Quote from Monty Python. At least, I'm pretty sure that that's what it's from. Please correct me if it isn't.**

**So, what did you think? Was it good, was it terrible, did you want to chuck it into a volcano?**


End file.
